Critics. The thing about critics is that movies like Love In The Villa aren’t made for critics. They’re made for fans. They’re made for people who need an escape. They are made for people who just want to remember what it’s like to fall in love.
Now, I’ve watched a lot of romantic comedies, and I love them. I think that we need more of them, because we all need to escape. Life is hard, but love is supposed to be something that makes a part of all the chaos easier.
So yes, I always head for a good romantic comedy, because I am one of those that movies like this are made for.
In the movies, “A young woman (Kat Graham) takes a trip to romantic Verona, Italy, after a break up, only to find that the villa she reserved was double-booked, and she’ll have to share her vacation with a cynical and very good-looking British man (Tom Hopper).”
While I will spoil this review by saying that I really liked the movie, I will say that it is because I was able to take myself out of the reality of it and not pay attention to how much of it didn’t make sense. It’s one of those, it’s so bad it’s good movies.
Like a lot of romantic comedies, Love in the Villa, is predictable. Plan is made, things go wrong, person still does thing on their own, finds themself and finds love. It’s one of the things that I can count on in life, the predictability of romantic comedies.
And this one is no different.
Julie is obsessed with the story of Romeo & Juliet. She’s waited her entire life to fall in love and head to Verona to see all of the places that she has imagined to be romantic and to solidify her ideas of love.
She’s over planned the vacation and her man dumps her right before they are to leave. She still goes and when she gets there, someone is already staying in her airbnb. The man is an arrogant British dude and these two are as different as night and day.
Shit happens, they argue, wage war, find a way to get along, and find their way to each other. Point of all of that – well, there isn’t anything unique about Love in the Villa. It’s just a new setting and new actors. This movie isn’t anything special.
So with that, I am sure you are asking yourself why it is that you should watch?
KAT GRAHAM
If I am being honest, Kat Graham is intimidating to me. She’s someone that I have loved as an actress forever, because The Vampire Diaries universe is life. I’ll forever follow the cast of that show, wherever it takes me. Well, except horror movies cause that shit I don’t watch.
Kat always brings a fresh take to any role, but she also always makes you feel like you could be that person that is experiencing what the character is going through. She makes roles relatable.
And she makes roles feel vulnerable. There is a strength in her characters and one that makes you feel as though someone sees you.
THE CHEMISTRY
Kat Graham and co-star Tom Hopper have great on screen chemistry. All too often now-a-days casting feels forced in movies and television shows, but these two aren’t miscast.
They have an undeniable chemistry. From the simple moments to the heightened ones, these two move in a way that makes you believe that they could be a real life couple. It’s fun to watch and keeps you in the world of the movie. It keeps you wanting to see more of what is happening.
It’s their chemistry, the way that they are able to play off each other and find a comfort in each others actions, that makes you invested in the characters, which makes you unable to turn off the movie, and makes you enjoy the movie.
THE SETTING
It’s Italy people. While some of us are back to traveling, some of us are not. I am not. But I will take all of the moments that movies allow me to travel.
Italy is one of my favorite places in the world. Being able to see it on the screen makes me happy. Seeing places I love to be makes me happy.
Thankful for movies like this that allow me to escape.
TROPES AND CLICHE
Tropes are my favorite thing in the world. I love all the tropes and the more the merrier.
Cliches aren’t always my favorite thing, but with this movie, these things work.
Enemies to lovers, damsel in distress, tragic story, the fighting, the stupid tricks… all of these things fit with this movie and the way they play them – it’s great.
That being said, it is also sometimes a little annoying because they exhaust some of them (like how many times are we gonna have the influx of cats), but then you just resort back to the chemistry and deal. They definitely took every trope and cliche that they could find and threw it into final draft.
SHIT THAT DOESN’T SIT WELL
When the movie starts, Kat Graham‘s character is reading third graders Romeo & Juliet, which doesn’t sit well. Hell, it’s like uncomfortable. And that’s just the beginning of the shit that doesn’t work well. Watch the movie and you’ll see a lot that you just are like what type of shit is that.
You’ll also learn that you don’t listen to others when they come up with stupid and crazy schemes. You’re living the situation – trust your guy.
If you go into the movie thinking that it’s perfect, you’ll be sadly disappointed. If you go into the movie thinking that you can have a good time, you will.
Love in the Villa is streaming now on Netflix.
